Highlights from the 2014 Honorees

New Jersey

Kellman Brown Academy, Voorhees, N.J.

Kellman Brown Academy (KBA) is a member of the Schechter Day School Network. Established in 1958, the early childhood through eighth-grade school is founded upon the principle of providing an unparalleled academic experience through integrated general and Judaic curricula. In 2008, the school moved to Voorhees, and the school’s board voted to embark on an adaptive reuse concept for the new building. This resulted in turning an empty and outdated warehouse into a beautiful school.

The new KBA was designed following LEED for schools guidelines with building efficiencies in mind including low-flow automatic sinks, glazed concrete blocks of partially recycled materials, renewable linoleum floors, recycled plastics for the bleachers, brand-new HVAC (air and heat) with top SEER rating, energy-efficient lighting, and many more environmentally smart choices. There was “no shovel in the ground” to renovate the warehouse; only one canopy was added to create a covered side entrance for bus arrival and dismissal. As KBA looked for ways to reduce its environmental footprint, it enhanced classroom light sensors, virtualized servers, and expanded an iPad program for students and faculty.

The school’s board has an ad-hoc committee on sustainability, and supports the green initiatives of the school both with lay participation and by authorizing expenditures through the operating budget. The head of school, Rabbi Moshe Schwartz, developed and manages KBA’s green strategic plan, which contains three main facets: building efficiencies, waste reduction, and expanding curriculum and instruction to develop environmental stewards.

Waste reduction initiatives include: installing hand dryers in all bathrooms, reducing of personal office printers from 10 o’clock to 6 o’clock, requiring every eligible purchase be ENERGY STAR-compliant, eliminating vending machines, replacing Styrofoam products with recyclable paper goods made from post-consumer materials, and using cleaning supplies that are green-seal certified.

Since 2012, Kellman Brown’s curriculum has benefitted from the use of 1:1 student and teacher iPads from fifth through eighth grades. Students and faculty access textbooks, personal planners, data collections, presentation tools, cameras, homework, tests, lab simulations, and other educational websites via technology. While KBA retained textbooks, there has been a significant reduction in paper handouts. Paper communication to parents is limited to once weekly, and has been nearly eliminated through social media and a student-management software package called RENWEB, which also includes a parent portal for homework, announcements, and directories.

KBA has added a science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics program in its lower elementary school that incorporates environmental education. The school sends its middle-grades students each fall to TEVA, a transforming Jewish outdoor education program, to learn about sustainability, ecology, and the environment. Upon return, students lead the way as environmental ambassadors in the school and community. Some of the activities that middle-school students have instituted include enhanced classroom recycling, composting, cleaning the grounds, and partnering in community service. With the help of gifts from Eric’s Nursery and Landscaping, Whole Foods, The Herb Society of America, and the Shore family, KBA built an organic vegetable and herb garden. Students conduct experiments on the soil, study key relationships among natural, energy, and human systems while developing critical-thinking skills for making environmentally-sound decisions. Students also take field trips, most recently to Bartram Gardens and Palmyra Cove.

Kellman Brown’s bright new facility has had many positive outcomes for students and staff. Teachers report that the green building initiatives, including location of classrooms, choice of paint colors, and effective use of technology, increase opportunities for differentiated instruction and ensure maximum chances for overall academic success.

To build relationships with the community and emphasize the importance of health and wellness, KBA participates in Jump Rope and Hoops for Heart annually, and partners with the Hazon community-supported agriculture group. This year, the school hosted its first Race for Education, in which the entire student and faculty body – alongside many parents – participated in a walk and jog fundraiser. KBA also partnered with the Philadelphia Eagles on the Fuel Up to Play 60 Challenge. After tracking their progress for four weeks, 25 grand-prize student winners visited Lincoln Financial Field to practice alongside professional football players.

As a Jewish day school, KBA is at the forefront of educating its students and their families about the Jewish values inherent in this philosophy. For example, in fall 2014 it will launch a yearlong curriculum that combines earth science with Rabbinic teachings on the earth, focusing on the Sabbatical year (shmitah), which on the Hebrew calendar will be observed in the land of Israel starting Sept. 24, 2014.

Three Bridges School, Three Bridges, N.J.

Three Bridges School (TBS) has brought sustainable practices to its school community. TBS is dedicated to teaching its students, staff, and parents to reduce their carbon footprint. Its school district’s facility manager has committed fully to supporting these conservation efforts by making the building more energy efficient, and purchasing items such as a water bottle filling station, rain barrels, and compost tumblers.

The district partnered with the Society of Environmental Engineers (SEE) to hire an energy efficiency coordinator who works as a liaison between SEE and the schools. This has resulted in regular data collections on energy usage, more stringent energy-use monitoring, and a new energy conservation policy. In concert with the SEE program, TBS staff and students worked on developing energy-efficient behaviors. Students put signs on computer monitors and printers to remind everyone to shut them off when not in use. Students also attended assemblies with the Energy Hog cartoon character, aimed at increasing students’ and teachers’ knowledge and awareness of energy conversation.

The maintenance staff ensures that all trash and recycling materials are sorted properly. Students and staff have embraced the recycling effort and remind each other about making good choices when disposing of waste. Students monitor each other in the classroom and the lunchroom, and the student leadership group has created a video about recycling for the school’s Web page. These efforts have been so successful that the school needed to upgrade to larger recycling containers.

The school hosted student essay and poster contests on sustainability themes, and presented the essays at a board meeting, where the students performed songs about sustainability. TBS also created the video “One Word,” and had each board member write one word associated with conservation and good stewardship. Pictures of each person holding his or her word were gathered in a video and shared on the school’s website. The school holds student concerts with green education themes. Students have sung about recycling, sustainability, and preserving the world, and sold reusable shopping bags bearing the school logo at the concession stand, using the money raised to adopt a tiger through the World Wildlife Fund.

At the school bottle filling station, students educate each other as to why they should abandon the single-use bottle, and enjoy watching the count on the fountain increase as it quantifies how many bottles they have saved. Meanwhile, a local organic farmer has shared best practices in gardening with students who have visited his farm, and an on-site school weather station helps teach math, meteorology, and communication skills.

A Girl Scout troop has taken responsibility for watering and weeding the school garden ‐‐ even when school is not is session. Parents have shared best practices in composting and growing the school vegetable and herb gardens. Community members -- including a weatherman – model potential careers in green technologies. Parents have shared their interests and professions in sustainability fields during mini-courses, assemblies, and nature seminars.

Physical education helps teach TBS students how to stay healthy for life. The school has established unique partnerships with the United States Tennis Association and the First Tee programs, securing grant money to provide tennis and golf instruction to students. The nearby Ocean High School students also come to TBS to teach double-dutch jump roping and healthy behaviors beyond primary school.

TBS is committed to greening the students, staff, and community of Readington Township. Supported by the district’s strategic planning goal of continuing its commitment to environmental sustainability, the school will forge ahead in its work and learning in this critical area.